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One Blood, One Chance, One Choice: CORDLIFE

Thursday, April 06, 2017

Leukemia is the most common type of cancer that kids actually get. The service of Cordlife is to have cord blood banking available in the country. It's not available in all countries, but is available in ours. Not all people have access to this but I'm glad to note it's in Manila. A kit is usually given to expectant mothers and brought to the facility and stored in liquid nitrogen, can be kept indefinitely and will be owned by the child. Contract will be given to the individual when he/she turns 18. One family each month will be done this year for free but they have to come up to them so they could identify these families, not only when and if the need arises to qualify for the grant. The blood will be processed and remember Red Blood Cells carry oxygen to organs and tissues, white blood cells fight infections, platelets help blood to clot and these are all inside a hematopoietic stem cell.

There are tons if benefits in stem cells and it has been doing great work with tons of people these days that more technologies are being discovered to use stem cells from the cord blood placenta after a child is born or also collected from a healthy donor. It does bone marrow recovery, some of which can benefit Leukemia patients and I'm glad that it is available in the country. As I understood, it's like using radiation on the bone marrow so it gets killed then given (most often than not) his own stem cell so he gets recovered, in a manner just like blood transfusion. It's a more concentrated form though.

A transplant is needed in Leukemia and some blood cancers, anemia, Thallasemia, Hodgkins disease, solid tumors, and certain diseases. Not all cancers can be cured. There is also a problem or relapse and it would be good to disseminate education and information that stem cell transplant is actually curative, as doing this early is better because survival rates are higher if that is done. It costs a little high and they are working with government institutions so this could be addressed, it also depends on age, status of disease, weight, complications and regimens used.

Many countries have no CBB's (cord blood banks) and it's one thing to be worried about. The great use of stem cells and biotechnology as a whole has been proven effective and in the past we didn't have one in the Philippines. We have great medical practitioners and scientists so a private cord blood bank is now at the UP Ayala Techno Hub in Quezon City. -Dr. Faundo of Cordlife

During the talk, the Lacanlale family also shared their experience and Cordlife was introduced to them and hopefully to cure their babies. This technology wasn't available before but is now a need for these kids and the other kids in the future who would benefit from it. Artists like Isabel Oli, Jolina Magdangal, Juris Fernandez and Dimples Romana who themselves have used this technology. If you want to know more, call 4701735 / 3321888 or visit their office at Unit 104 Bldg H UP Ayala Technohub in Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City. Families with blood cancers would benefit more than this so please call if you are in need of it.